T. Sturge Moore (1870–1944)

Definitely wasn’t impressed with this collection of poetry… For me Yeats is all about the mystical, magical, and mythological Ireland, and while his dalliance with realism in the previous collection (The Green Helmet and other Poems) was interesting, I’m getting awfully bored with the focus on the everyday. The one poem which I did enjoy in this collection was “Friends,” which harkens back to his interest in cultural mythology, since the themes and imagery are very obviously tied to the threefold aspect goddess. She takes many forms in various cultures around the world, and some would read this poem as simply an exploration of time and age, but knowing Yeats’ previous inclinations gives the poem quite a bit more potential depth and interest. Unfortunately it looks like this trend towards realism dominates the remainder of his work, so this will be the last collection that I read for a while. May come back in time, though.… (mehr)